It is the intent of this article to establish a Cultural Resources
Protection Overlay District, within which construction and development
activities requiring either a building permit, site plan approval,
subdivision approval or authorization by a Town department head for
Town-sponsored activities on Town land or in Town street rights-of-way,
which activities exceed specific site disturbance thresholds depending
on proximity to known burial and other sensitive sites, will be required
to conduct appropriate cultural resource investigations for the purpose
of identifying the existence of burial sites, human remains, associated
funerary artifacts, and other culturally sensitive archeological sites;
and to ensure that such sites, remains and artifacts are undisturbed
to the maximum extent practicable.
The provisions of this article shall apply to lands in the Town,
outside the Shinnecock Indian Nation and Incorporated Villages and
encompassing properties in the following areas:
A. Cultural Resources Protection Area A: areas of greater sensitivity
encompassing the Shinnecock Fort site, Sugar Loaf Hill burial site
and other areas of sensitivity identified in the "Phase IA Cultural
Resources Survey for Shinnecock Hills, Sebonac and Environs," superimposed
upon the Zoning Map of the Town of Southampton and delineated as "Cultural
Resources Protection Overlay District Area A," as same may be updated
from time to time as a result of new information from ongoing investigations.
B. Cultural Resources Protection Area B: areas of general sensitivity
beyond the more sensitive area of the Shinnecock Fort site and Sugar
Loaf Hill burial site, superimposed upon the Zoning Map of the Town
of Southampton and delineated as "Cultural Resources Protection Overlay
District Area B," as same may be updated from time to time as a result
of new information from ongoing investigations.
C. Cultural Resources Protection Area C: inactive and/or abandoned family
burial sites, identified on the "Town of Southampton Historic Cemetery
List," superimposed upon the Zoning Map of the Town of Southampton
and delineated as "Cultural Resources Protection Overlay District
Area C," as same may be updated from time to time as a result of new
information from ongoing investigations.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have meanings
as indicated:
NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS FOR CULTURAL RESOURCE INVESTIGATIONS
Standards established by the New York Archaeological Council
(NYAC) and adopted by the New York State Office of Parks Recreation
and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP), as may be amended from time
to time. These standards can be located at <https://nysarchaeology.org/nyac/professional-standards/>.
PHASE II CULTURAL RESOURCE INVESTIGATION: SITE EVALUATION
The primary goals of Phase II Cultural Resource Investigations
are to obtain detailed information on the integrity, limits, structure,
function, and cultural/historical context of an archaeological site
sufficient to evaluate its potential National Register eligibility
as more fully outlined by the NY Archaeological Council standards
referenced herein.
PHASE III CULTURAL RESOURCE INVESTIGATION: DATA RECOVERY
Phase III Cultural Resource Investigations are required if
an archaeological/historical resource listed on or eligible for inclusion
on the State or National Register of Historic Places (SHPO) is identified
and impacts to this resource by a proposed project are anticipated.
When a data recovery plan is developed, it should be based on a balanced
combination of resource-preservation, engineering, environmental and
economic concerns. Mitigation may take the form of avoidance through
project redesign, reduction of the direct impacts on the resource
with data recovery on the portion to be destroyed, data recovery prior
to construction, recordation of structural remains, and/or a combination
of the above, as more fully outlined by the NY Archaeological Council
standards referenced herein.
SITE DISTURBANCE
Disturbance, excavation or regrading of the ground surface
associated with all forms of construction, development, landscaping,
and vegetation removal in conjunction with any application to the
Town Building Division or to the Town Planning Board for site plan
or subdivision approval.
Portions of the Overlay District are designated as Critical Areas of Particular Concern with Respect to Locations having Social, Cultural, Historic, Archaeological or Educational Importance, pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act and §
157-10 (Environmental Quality Review, Critical areas) of the Code of the Town of Southampton.